Walter Breen's Encyclopedia of Early United States Cents

Obverse 1. LE. UH. LH. LE. Top lock has an extra curl, steeper and narrower than on 1808-10 dies. A die scratch slants down from star 5 halfway to the nose. T leans left.

Reverse A. PC. SPR. C. C. See Remarks. u is low. ES are above the adjacent T which leans right. Broken N punches as in 1810.

Die states: I. Without any of the swells or clash marks of later states. See Remarks.

II. Trace of a bulge between the final 1 and star 13 only.

III. Bulge develops through the final 1 and last two stars, however, this is never prominent. Reverse has a faint bulge between F A. Gash marks within the wreath, plainest right of (N)E and (N)T.

IV. Bulge develops through the first star.

V. Narrow rim breaks opposite second to fourth stars, at a point of maximum stress on the dies following axial misalignment.

VI. Narrow rim break near the ninth star. Very rare.

Equivalents: Proskey 2. Doughty 216. McGirk 2A. Clapp 2. Sheldon 287. EAC 1. Encyclopedia 1781.

Rarity 2.

Remarks: Often found with dark and rough surfaces. On earliest states, minor axial misalignment weakens the left stars, adjacent border, and UNITED. This was corrected. Later, axial misalignment weakens the right obverse border and causes stars behind the head to be flat, even on Mint State specimens.

Leaf at D is opposite a point between inner and outer right curves; on weaker strikings it is nearer to the inner curve, on heavier ones it is nearer the outer. Leaf point at (E)S on weaker strikings does not always extend beyond s.

Pete Smith has an example which is 20% off center in K-2.

Condition Census:

MS-66 Found in 1915 in an old desk being repaired in New Haven, Connecticut and sold to Dr. Henry W. Beckwith • S. H. Chapman 4/1923: 45 $125 • S. H. Chapman • Rev. William H. Owen, Jr. • Yale University (stolen in the 5/29/65 robbery; when recovered, the university declined its return since the insurance claim had already been settled) • unknown • William H. Foster • John Rowe III and Q. David Bowers • Lester Merkin • Richard Picker • C. Douglas Smith. unknown • Stack's 10/1990: 1594 $65,000 • Anthony Terranova, Martin Paul (The Rarities Group), and Silvano DiGenova (Tangible Investments of America) • Superior Galleries 8/1991: 361 $55,000 • Steve Contursi (S. L. Contursi Rare Coin Gallery) • unknown • Superior Galleries 9/1993: 119.

MS-64 Stack's 10/1978: 877 $4,600 • Ed Hipps (Ed's Coin & Stamp Shop), 1983 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/ 1992 • Eric Streiner • Jay Parrino (The Mint). Obverse and reverse illustrated in Noyes.

MS-63 Mint Collection of the United States, Smithsonian Institute.

MS-62 George W. Merritt • Ed. Frossard 1/1879: 166 $28 • Thomas Warner • S. H. & H. Chapman 6/1884: 3027 $26.25 • E. J. Stevenson • Henry A. Sternberg • M. H. Bolender #190, 3/1956: 1607 $325 • Dorothy Paschal • Thomas Steinmetz, 8/1978 • George H. Blenker, 1/15/ 1978 • Robert Schick. Obverse illustrated in the 1879 Frossard monograph.

MS-61 Henry C. Miller • Thomas L. Elder 4/1917: 812 $92 • Henry Chapman • Col. E. H. R. Green • B. G. Johnson (St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.) • Arthur C. Fritz • Rudolph Khol • Federal Coin Exchange FPL, 1952 $375 • 1954 ANA (Federal Coin Exchange): 1032 $410 • Dr. James O. Sloss, 9/1958 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • A. Kosoff 10/1959: 113 $850 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • Louis Helfenstein • Lester Merkin8/1964: 46 $2,300 • F. E. Knoble • Lester Merkin 4/1970: 426$2,100 • Dr. M. Lamar Hicks • Stack's 3/1986: 838 $9,350 • R.E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/1992 • Eric Streiner • Jay Parrino (The Mint), 4/16/1996 • W. M. "Jack" Wadlington.

MS-61 Lester Merkin 6/1971: 566 $1,600 • unknown • American Auction Association 5/1972: 606 $1,400 • Julian Leidman • George W. "Hank" Rodgers • Kagin's Numismatic Auctions #301, 11/1973: 989 $2,500 • Andrew M. Hain, 10/29/1974 • Consignment South • Stack's 9/1989: 282 $9,900.

MS-61 Discovered in an English collection in 1949 by Charles M. Wormser (New Netherlands Coin Co.), privately 1949 • C. Douglas Smith • Homer K. Downing. 1952 ANA (New Netherlands Coin Co. #38): 1992 $210 • A. Kosoff • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • A. Kosoff 10/1959: 114 $475 • Louis Helfenstein • Lester Merkin 8/1964: 47 $2,200 • unknown • Lester Merkin 10/1966: 126 $2,000 • unknown • Lester Merkin 3/1969: 671 $1,725 • Floyd T. Starr • Stack's 6/1984: 50 $5,225. Denis W. Loring, 8/1985 • Herman Halpern, 12/11/1986 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr. • Early American Coppers 4/1989: 168 $9,000 • Dr. Allen Bennett, 4/4/1992 • Eric Streiner • Jay Parrino (The Mint) • Dr. Eugene Sherman • Superior Stamp & Coin 9/1997: 83 $20,900 • Thomas D. Reynolds.

MS-61 Property of a prominent collector • Thomas L. Elder #13, 10/1907: 89 • Howard R Newcomb • J. C. Morgenthau & Co. #458, 2/1945: 478 $200 • Wayte Raymond • Dr. Charles A. Cass • Stack's 11/1957: 187 $360 • Emanuel Taylor, 10/1960 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr., 2/23/ 1992 • Eric Streiner • Jay Parrino (The Mint). Obverse and reverse illustrated in Early American Cents and in Penny Whimsy.

MS-60 Dr. G. F. E. Wilharm • B. Max Mehl #59, 2/1921: 1478 $110 • Dr. George P. French, 3/21/1929 • B. Max Mehl FPL, 1929: 363 $150 • H A. Stoddard, 1934 • B. Max Mehl, privately • T. James Clarke, 1949 • Dr. William H Sheldon, 4/19/1972 • R. E. Naftzger, Jr.• New Netherlands Coin Co. 11/1973: 601 $1,400 • Dr. John M. Tondra, 1980 • Garry Fitzgerald.

MS-60 New Netherlands Coin Co., privately 8/18/1949 • Harold Bareford, 9/13/1985 • Herman Halpern • Stack's 3/1988: 273 $3,080 • John B. MacDonald, 4/1997 • Steven K. Ellsworth.

MS-60 Bowers and Merena 1/1991: 330 $4,620 • Jesse Lipka (Numismania) • Jack H. Beymer, 3/1992 • Denis W. Loring • Allan Kollar.

MS-60 S. H. & H. Chapman collection • S. H. & H. Chapman 10/1879: 467 $23.50.